Liikanen Lens Resonance System(R)
What is LRS?
The "Lens Resonance System®" (LRS) is a unique patented soundboard construction for acoustic guitars and other musical instruments with a flat or near flat soundboard.
LRS is invented by Kauko Liikanen and Uwe Florath, in the workshop of Liikanen Musical Instruments, Helsinki/Finland. After two years of experimenting and developing, LRS soundboards are used in all Liikanen Guitars since year 2001.
Kantare Guitars is a brand built exclusively with LRS.
How does LRS work?
The LRS soundboard is stiffened with a wooden cross-brace grid in the middle of the lower part of the soundboard. A thin plate of wood is glued over the grid. The cross-section of the whole construction is a lens shape and the soundboard around the bridge area is much stiffer and better controlled than in traditional soundboards.
The sound of a LRS guitar is very sensitive and responsive with an exceptional good sustain, because the vibration energy produced by the strings is evenly shared to the soundboard via the stiff middle area. The resonance- curves of LRS-tops are more even than in traditional built guitars. There are no high-gained amplitude-peaks which yield to an unharmonic sound and often wolf-notes in the discant frequency range.
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The Lens Resonance System(R) allows a much better balance between the mass and the stiffness of the guitar soundboard without using artificial or synthetic materials such as carbon fibre compostites.
The modes of birbarion of the guitar soundboard are the same in every guitar construction but the player obtains much better control with this new system, with the effect that the guitar sound is much cleaner without so many overtones that usually cloud the guitar note. The edge of the top is thinner than in traditional Spanish guitars. The middle under the bridger is stiffer, so that at the first mode of vibration around 190Ha (the whole top) can vibrate exceptionally well. The very high modes of vibration over 1200 Hz are much better controlled - the stiffness in the middle of the soundboard tends to enhance its smaller areas that are breaking up. In this way the player achieves a very well balanced sound.
There are a lot of other developments connected to the new soundboard construction: the bridge is smaller and lighter than usual, the sound hole is moved a few centimetres up, the nut and the saddle are both compensated to accomplish the intonation required. Together with the LRS they enhance not only the clarity and blaance, but also the overall volume, dynamic, sustain, playability and the beauty and quality of the guitar sound itself, which is very much like the traditional Spanish guitar sound.
The Liikanen company is formed by 4 experienced luthiers. In addition to the Kantare range, they make concert instruments as well as 10 string guitars and 11 string alto guitars.
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The "Lens Resonance System®" (LRS) is a unique patented soundboard construction for acoustic guitars and other musical instruments with a flat or near flat soundboard.
LRS is invented by Kauko Liikanen and Uwe Florath, in the workshop of Liikanen Musical Instruments, Helsinki/Finland. After two years of experimenting and developing, LRS soundboards are used in all Liikanen Guitars since year 2001.
Kantare Guitars is a brand built exclusively with LRS.
How does LRS work?
The LRS soundboard is stiffened with a wooden cross-brace grid in the middle of the lower part of the soundboard. A thin plate of wood is glued over the grid. The cross-section of the whole construction is a lens shape and the soundboard around the bridge area is much stiffer and better controlled than in traditional soundboards.
The sound of a LRS guitar is very sensitive and responsive with an exceptional good sustain, because the vibration energy produced by the strings is evenly shared to the soundboard via the stiff middle area. The resonance- curves of LRS-tops are more even than in traditional built guitars. There are no high-gained amplitude-peaks which yield to an unharmonic sound and often wolf-notes in the discant frequency range.
----
The Lens Resonance System(R) allows a much better balance between the mass and the stiffness of the guitar soundboard without using artificial or synthetic materials such as carbon fibre compostites.
The modes of birbarion of the guitar soundboard are the same in every guitar construction but the player obtains much better control with this new system, with the effect that the guitar sound is much cleaner without so many overtones that usually cloud the guitar note. The edge of the top is thinner than in traditional Spanish guitars. The middle under the bridger is stiffer, so that at the first mode of vibration around 190Ha (the whole top) can vibrate exceptionally well. The very high modes of vibration over 1200 Hz are much better controlled - the stiffness in the middle of the soundboard tends to enhance its smaller areas that are breaking up. In this way the player achieves a very well balanced sound.
There are a lot of other developments connected to the new soundboard construction: the bridge is smaller and lighter than usual, the sound hole is moved a few centimetres up, the nut and the saddle are both compensated to accomplish the intonation required. Together with the LRS they enhance not only the clarity and blaance, but also the overall volume, dynamic, sustain, playability and the beauty and quality of the guitar sound itself, which is very much like the traditional Spanish guitar sound.
The Liikanen company is formed by 4 experienced luthiers. In addition to the Kantare range, they make concert instruments as well as 10 string guitars and 11 string alto guitars.
